Collision
by HesMines
Summary: Someone is killing socialites in New Orleans. Of course the brass leverage the professional working relationship Detective LaMontagne has with the BAU.
1. Prologue

**So I think JJ and Will is my new thing… there are worse things that could happen :)**

 **Set early/mid-season 3, roughly six months into their relationship. Only divergence from canon is Will knows JJ is keeping him quiet.**

 **Again, I don't own any of this!**

-CM-

Agent Jennifer Jareau was perched on the edge of her desk flicking through a case file. She had ten new requests to prioritise before she was finished for the day, which, assuming there were no new fires to put out, would be right on schedule.

Not that she had anything to rush home for unless you counted a bubble bath and a glass of wine with her name on it. Will had flown home the morning before and she didn't have any plans with the girls.

Adding her current file to the 'consult only' stack, JJ was just about to pick up a new case when her cell buzzed. Glancing at the screen, JJ smiled when she saw Will's name flash up on the screen.

However, as soon as she read his words she jumped off the edge of her desk and around to her chair, quickly entering her password into the computer. Frowning, she hit refresh on her inbox. Will had got to her before the initial request landed.

Switching screens, she logged into the Central hub and pulled up the file from details Will mentioned. Something like this was a priority one, as soon as it hit her inbox she would recall the team, so it didn't hurt to be prepared.

 _Just been notified that NOPD is calling in the BAU. Third missing socialite in two months. We're all pulled off our other assignments. Lead Detective is a guy called Mike Glover, he dropped the ball linking the cases and does not want the BAU proving the brass right. Case numbers are 743-56264-200828A 743-56264-200834L 743-56264-200835A._

 **Thanks for the heads up. Found the file & waiting on the invitation landing. Reading now. **

As JJ was flicking through the summaries of each crime scene her inbox pinged with the invitation. She wasted no time in responding to the invite, stating that they'd be there as soon as possible. In a manner she'd perfected over the years, she simultaneously organised the jet while cascading the recall text.

The responses from the team acknowledging the recall began to chirp in almost immediately. It wasn't until she felt a seventh buzz at her hip that she checked her phone. She only needed six for the team.

It transpired that the third text wasn't from one of her profilers, but her almost-boyfriend. She really needed to get better at this.

 _I assume we're still keeping quiet. No need to add distractions._

 **As long as you know I'm not hiding you...I just like keeping us for us. It's impossible to keep secrets around profilers.**

 _Now why would I ever turn down an invitation to sneak into a beautiful woman's hotel room._

Smiling at his response, JJ allowed herself a moment of playfulness before she left the sanctuary of her office and entered full case mode.

 _I didn't think Emily was your type Detective._


	2. Chapter 1

Surprisingly, it wasn't until they were driving to the station that someone mentioned their last visit to the city. There was no surprise that it was Emily.

"So, JJ," JJ could already hear the grin in Emily's voice and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Do you know if that Detective with the sexy accent will be on the case? What was his name? Bill or something?"

"Will." This time JJ did roll her eyes as Derek laughed from the driver's seat. So much for sticking together. "Assuming he's still in New Orleans, probably. All resource has been directed to this investigation except those assigned to active exception cases."

It wasn't a lie. JJ made a point of remembering all prior contacts. She never got a name wrong when she'd had prior warning. So what if she knew Will was assigned. So was every other officer in the city.

"He was pretty to look at." Emily sighed wistfully, and JJ felt a flash of something in her chest. Possessiveness maybe? She'd worry about the implications of that later. " _And_ he had a thing for you."

"He did not." JJ scoffed, but her defence sounded weak even to her own ears. Of course he'd had a thing for her. They just didn't need to know she had reciprocated the feeling.

"Please remember you are surrounded by profilers and try that again."

"So what if he did." JJ shrugged, reaching into her purse to grab her buzzing cell. Glancing down, glad for the distraction, she noticed that her contact in the local press office was calling. "We don't tend to make a habit of sleeping with local law enforcement. Unless you're Morgan, of course."

A deep laugh from the front of the SUV was her answer, "I'm wounded JJ, wounded."

JJ threw a smug look in Morgan's direction as she answered the call. Like hell would she let him forget those mornings where she'd gone to kick him out of his hotel room only to find a detective, a journalist and even the odd receptionist in his room instead.

…

Heading into the station, JJ made sure to compose her features. As Emily had pointed out in the SUV, she was surrounded by profilers. Smiling when she saw Will would give the game away. JJ scanned the room for her contact as the others filed in behind her.

Despite her best efforts, the first thing she focused on was Will. He had his back to the team, reaching up to put something on the case board. His shirt stretched with the movement, emphasising the muscles she knew were under that shirt. He turned around when he heard the others notice the newcomers, his eyes locking on JJ before moving to the rest of the team.

They were so screwed.

To JJ's surprise, Will stepped forward to meet them, reaching out to offer a hand to Hotch. "Agent Hotchner, welcome back to New Orleans. Wish it was under better circumstances."

"Agent Jareau. Always a pleasure."

He turned to offer her his hand next, eyes twinkling as he shot her his usual half grin, "Sorry I didn't call ahead, Detective Glover has been, uh, reassigned. I'll show you where we got you set up."

Will spun on his heel and started walking towards a room in a corridor to the left of squad room. JJ internally smiled, he'd obviously listened to her rants about local law enforcement who either kept the team too close or too far away from the Central point.

JJ saw Will's partner Tony stand to follow them. She'd only met him a handful of times, but he was the one who helped ensure that Will's off duty weekends were mostly uninterrupted.

He didn't look at her, but he wasn't avoiding her either. That was a good thing, as her team would pick up on the tension.

Once they were in the room Will had secured, Hotch was the first to speak. "What happened to Glover?"

Will sighed, leaning back against the table in the centre of the room, "There was an...altercation...with the Captain."

Tony rolled his eyes and added, "He thought the appropriate response to getting questioned about why he didn't link the first two cases was to throw a punch."

"Ah." Emily nodded as she placed her bag on the table. "I'd like to talk to him, he might react better to someone he doesn't know."

"I don't know how much you'll get out him, but be my guest." Will gestured to one of the uniformed officers just outside the room. "Officer Keane will take you to his apartment."

"Alright. Morgan, you and I will revisit the last crime scene. Reid, I need you to stay here and compile a geographic profile. We've got a lot of catching up to do as this unsub is already three murders in. Detective LaMontagne, can you take Agent Rossi to meet the families of the victims, starting with the latest."

"Sure thing. This way," Will held out his arm for Rossi to lead, then left the room without so much as a backward glance. The others filed out the room until it was only Spencer and JJ left.

JJ reached into her purse to pull out her list of media outlets and press offices, trying to ignore the feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't focus on her relationship with Will in the middle of an active case. It wasn't fair on the victims. It wasn't fair on Will.

So what if she suddenly felt something like hurt when Will left the room without throwing her a smile, or a glance, or anything. He was acting like she was just another agent. He was being professional. He was doing exactly what she'd asked him to. She was the one who clearly couldn't keep her emotions in check.

"You know," JJ didn't bother looking up for Spencer's latest fact. It was probably something to do with old money and the civil war and traditions, "I've known it was him for the last five months."

"Spence!" That was not what she was expecting.

Spinning round to face him - when had he snuck up behind her - she was torn between denial and shock. Mostly shock. Which meant she had no way of providing a sufficient denial. "What do you mean you knew?!"

Reid shrugged and nonchalantly put his hands in his pockets, "Two weeks after the case in New Orleans you rescheduled our Sunday brunch to the Wednesday. You now reschedule it between once and twice a month. You left your frequent flier statement on your desk in your office and it showed a significant increase. You have a tan in winter. You started picking up a hint of southern accent in your voice, especially after you reschedule brunch. And you've turned down every guy that approaches you every time we go out for drinks with far more force than you ever did when you were single. It's not a bad thing. I like this version of you. It's like an extra layer on your personality."

"I…" JJ blinked as she tried to process what she'd just been told, "I don't even know what to say to that."

"I'm your best friend JJ. I don't need to be a profiler to see you're happy." Reid shrugged then turned back towards the empty notice boards. He picked up file and began to flick through it, looking for anything relevant.

Tapping the file off her free hand, JJ looked after him for a long moment, debating whether her next words were allowed or completely inappropriate for the current situation. Deciding to ignore the consequences for now, JJ stepped forward, "So. As my best friend. Tell me what to do because I am way out of my depth here."

Reid turned to face her, an eyebrow raised slightly, "You're asking me? The guy who has been on one date and it was with you."

"And it was a very nice date, you definitely rank in the top 25% of guys I dated. You just realised I'm more of a sister than a girlfriend." She looked at him pleadingly, looking for the objective insight he so often gave her, "Spence, you have read more psychology, philosophy, self-help, newspaper columns than any of us. I _really_ like him. Why did I tell him to act like he didn't know me?"

"The same reason you didn't tell us. You care about how this goes." Spencer stepped towards her, leaning around to grab her cell from its place on the table, "Telling us makes it it real. It means you have something to lose. But sometimes that's nice. We all look out for Hotch that little bit more because of Jack, Morgan for Garcia, it's not a crime to have someone waiting at home."

He placed her cell in her hands, giving them a light squeeze before he turned back to his blank board, "Now text him and tell him to sneak into your hotel room. I'll take the room next to you as I can guarantee I won't hear a thing."


	3. Chapter 2

_2 hours earlier…_

Will was studying a post on a gossip website when he heard the raised voices coming from the Captain's office but didn't think much of it. Glover had been dragged in for a debriefing over his handling of the case so far. It was never going to be pretty.

Instead, he focused on the screen in front of him. This was the eighth blog post he'd read about the most recent 'accident'. He hadn't even started on the social media angle.

The families weren't talking - those high powered corporate types rarely did - so he was using the next best thing to piece together the facts. Rumour and speculation. There was usually a few grains of truth somewhere in there. He just had to know where to look.

He knew which sites had their fingers on the pulse. He knew which ones fact-checked to a degree. He knew which ones always pulled out the reprints.

The site he was currently browsing was run by twin sisters who owned a chain of hair salons across the city. His college roommate had dated both of them. If those girls didn't know about it, it didn't happen. Although not everything made it onto the site, so he made a mental note to drop Debbie a text later to see which salon she was working out of today.

The site was confirming what he suspected the timeline was. Each victim has been a party girl. Each victim had disappeared from the party scene for about six weeks four months ago. Before the break, the girls were all part of the same circle. But none of them had been pictured together since.

Once JJ's team landed, he'd need to grab an opportunity to run the theory by her. Her team's technical analyst would have a better chance of figuring out if anyone else was at scope much faster than they would by flicking through websites. Glover, however, wouldn't appreciate the tip. Nor would he appreciate Will going around him.

The inter-office politics on this case were going to be a killer.

"Glover's been in there a while," Charles Luvett remarked, sitting on the edge of Will's desk. Will didn't look up from the article until he heard his partner's next words, "Looks like it's getting pretty heated."

Looking to the window, Will could see their shadows against the closed blinds. Both Glover and the Captain were standing. Captain Shearer seemed to be leaning on his desk. Glover was pacing like a caged animal. Now that he was paying attention, Will could hear the muffled shouting.

This wasn't going to end well.

Almost as soon as the thought entered his head, the shadow-Glover flew at the shadow-Captain.

"Shit." Will cursed as he leapt to his feet, following Luvett into the Captain's office. Charles grabbed Glover by the scruff of the neck and threw him out into the hallway before he could make the situation any worse. Will grabbed Shearer around the shoulders and kept him from following - knowing the older man would appreciate the lack of sanction when he'd calmed down.

Right now, not so much.

"That arrogant son of a bitch doesn't deserve his badge."

"Sir, I suggest you calm down before Glover marches back in here with his union rep." Will strategically placed himself between Shearer and the doorway, hoping Charles was putting as much distance between the two men as possible.

Shearer turned away from Will, muttering profanities under her breath. Will thought that was the end of is and moved to leave the office when he was stopped with a brisk, "Where do you think you're going?"

Will raised his eyebrow in confusion and pointed over his shoulder with a thumb before stating what he thought was obvious, "Back to the gossip blogs and newspaper articles?"

"No you're not." Shearer picked up his desk phone and punched some numbers in angrily. From the clipped conversation, Will deduced that his Sergeant was on the other end of the call.

A few moment later, Louisa appeared in the office glaring at their mutual boss. He didn't blame her. The tone of the summoning was anything but professional.

"Glover is off the Manning case. LaMontagne is in. He's worked with BAU before." He started pacing again, and Will suddenly felt dread forming in the pit of his stomach. "They'll be here soon and I do not want this getting out. At all. No media spectacle. LaMontagne, I heard rumours you got flirty with the Bureau's resident blonde. You have my permission to leverage that pretty little face of yours, charm the panties off that Agent Jareau and do whatever it takes to keep this out the papers."

"Excuse me," Will felt anger replace the dread as his jaw hit the floor. Louisa looked similarly pissed. "Is that what Dan swung for you?"

"I need men who are willing step up and do whatever it takes to keep this city alive." Shearer sat behind his desk, daring either officer in front of him to say something.

"With all due respect, sir, I am not sleeping with Agent Jareau just because you told me to." JJ was going to combust. She was going to eat his boss for breakfast and he found himself enjoying the image. "I've worked closely with the BAU, it doesn't matter if I was sleeping with her or not, if she wants to run a sorry there ain't nothing I can do to stop her if it's the right thing to do."

He was sleeping with her and he knew it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference. "Besides, I'm pretty sure my girlfriend would have issues with that."

It wasn't a lie. JJ would be furious when she found out. They just wouldn't be based in infidelity.

"Bill, you are _not_ expected to sleep with _anyone_ for a case." Louisa cut in, her tone low and dangerous, "What I think the Captain is trying to say is that he'd appreciate it if you make the most of your _existing_ _working_ _relationship_ with the BAU and stressed the cons of publicising the murders. Isn't that right, _sir_."

"Whatever, just keep this out the papers or you're on parking duty for the foreseeable."

 _-CM-_

 _Present time…_

"I don't get it." Morgan frowned as he crouched next to the wreck of the black Range Rover, "Why weren't these cases linked before now?"

"I can understand the rationale. The city's still recovering," Hotch surveyed the view with his back to the wreck, taking in the colourful New Orleans streets. This was one of the busier streets, killing someone here was a high risk move. "What's easier to believe, two serial killers active in six months, or two rich party girls OD-ing?"

"Overdosing as they drive down the main strip. Three girls, from the same social circle, in the same three block radius. That's not overlooked, that's negligence." Morgan stood, his expression grave. There would be consequences, whatever the outcome of this case.

Hotch threw Morgan a look of agreement before he motioned back towards the police tape. There was nothing new they could learn here. "I'm curious to see what Prentiss gets out of Glover."

 _-CM-_

"Tell me you picked up on that too?" Rossi waited until they were at the end of the path before he spoke.

The interview with the most recent victims family was telling. The most recents victim's father was a real estate mogul. He existed in a bubble that very few others were familiar. Money could fix all their problems. He was angry. He was upset. But he was not helping the FBI in their investigations.

His ex-wife, the victims mother, was stoney faced and let no emotion slip during the interview - she came from old money. Rossi knew the type. They could put a face on anything.

His new wife - thirty two and barely older than his daughters - was distraught. The ex-waitress was clearly less experienced in dealing with things internally. She'd all but begged Will to find who did this.

"That they're terrified and think closing ranks will help? Yeah I noticed." Will put his hands in his pockets and leant back against his car. He'd read the statements from the other families, and they had been just as vague. He was beginning to see why Glover didn't push too hard. It was well known that Glover preferred the brand name cases. The ones that got his name in the papers and a note in his file. There was no incentive to push this one. "They think Daddy's bank account is going to make this all go away."

"All the money in the world means nothing when your contact is through a headstone instead of a cell phone." Rossi shook his head slowly, he'd seen too many of these cases recently. He paused before taking his cell out to text Hotch the update.

As he typed, he glanced back at the house and smiled ruefully. The second wife was watching them from the window. "Look at that. You might have a route in through the second wife. She seems to like you."

Will looked up to see what Rossi was referring to. Meeting his gaze, the woman gave a hopeful smile and waved. "Seems the wedding ring has lost its shine."

"Woman like that offers you a night of no strings attached, not many men would say no." Rossi laughed, "Or is this where you tell me you prefer blondes to brunettes."

Will shrugged noncommittally, unsure if the older agent was fishing or just making conversation, "Something like that."

Although, he knew his answer was that JJ was the first girl he'd dated since high school with blonde hair. Historically his thing had been brunettes.

"The wise choice." Rossi mused as he took in the rest of the neighbourhood. If they drove all the way out here they should make the most of it. When he saw Will's raised eyebrows in question, he clarified, "Not mixing work and a relationship."

It was Will's turn to laugh now. Rossi was definitely fishing. He was positive that the second wife's interest in him would make it back to JJ before the day was out. Part of him hoped he'd see her turn green.

Maybe it was the long distance, but a territorial JJ usually meant that he spent the next day mainlining caffeine to stay awake. He doesn't know how his department didn't find out after her last visit to New Orleans - they'd both turned up to the training session she was running five minutes before it was due to begin, more than a little rough around the edges.

She thought she was so subtle.

It's one of the few reasons he goes along with her insistence they keep it a secret. Because she gives herself away every time. He knows why she feels the way she does, and he respects her motivations. Losing her sister has impacted her more than she'd ever realise. So he has no interest in scaring her off by pointing out the obvious.

Shaking his head again, Will ignored Rossi's obvious implication and brought the conversation back to the case at hand, "Because distraught and clingy is exactly my type. Now, if we're looking for people to talk, you want to head to number one-oh-eight. Mrs McKenzie is an old dear. Nothing happens in the middle and upper classes of this city without her knowing about it.

 _-CM-_

Ten minutes later they were settled in Mrs McKenzie's drawing room. For an eighty one year old, the house was surprisingly modern. 'Necessity' she'd explained to Rossi when he'd noted her taste. She was as sick as everyone else of hearing the name Katrina, she wanted to move on. 'Money means nothing in the face of nature.' She'd shrugged easily, 'I was lucky. I lost everything, but I had the means to rebuild. Other people weren't so lucky.'

The tea was freshly brewed as Will had warned Rossi. She'd been expecting them.

The visit began with the usual pleasantries Rossi had come to expect when dealing with high class CIs. Mrs McKenzie asked after Will's grandmother, remarking that her recent trip to Florida had done her the world of good. She hinted that meeting Will's new girlfriend would _also_ do his grandmother the world of good.

Eventually, they reached the subject of Claire Manning.

"Terrible the messes those girls got themselves into. You know I don't speak ill of the dead Billy, but I'm not surprised that their actions caught up with them." Mrs McKenzie set her teacup on the table and stood, heading to her bookcase. Pulling out a small diary, she flipped to somewhere near the middle before handing it to Will. "Those are the license plates. For the last eight months, big flashy cars have been pulling into the neighbourhood at all hours. My security cameras caught them. I'll have John pull the tapes for you. You know I store everything."

She reached for her cellphone and pressed a few buttons. Seconds later, a voice drifted from the corner of the room. _"Good afternoon nerve centre how can I help you today?_ "

"Still working on the hive mind, John?" Will laughed, seemingly familiar with this arrangement.

" _Detective LaMontagne! I didn't see you on the cameras or I'd have come down in person. I ran into your grandmother at the store yesterday. Please tell me you plan on giving that woman some great-grandchildren because she's feeling incredibly left out."_

"I'll let you have that chat with my girlfriend and you can let me know how it goes." Will refused to make eye contact with Rossi. He'd said more than he intended to, "Your momma mentioned some flashy cars running around the neighbourhood. Think you could get me the footage?"

" _I'll have the DVD ready for you in about twenty minutes."_


	4. Chapter 3

It was 1am when JJ made it to her hotel room. They'd hit a dead end, so Hotch had instructed them to get some sleep and regroup at 8am the following morning. Their only solid lead was the DVD from Will's CI and Garcia was pouring over that herself.

Which meant JJ had five hours to hide away from the world with Will.

He'd been avoiding her all evening, and it hurt. She didn't understand why. Given their earlier conversation about subtlety, she didn't expect him to sit next to her as they all grabbed a working dinner, but he was avoiding being within two feet of her. God forbid she mentioned the media strategy.

His avoidance was more noticeable than if he decided to play grab ass while the others weren't looking.

And then Rossi had mentioned the third victim's stepmother's interest - very deliberately and at great length. So despite her teammate's clear overplaying of his hand, a tiny bit of her was jealous.

Will's avoidance didn't reach outside the station. They'd had a perfectly normal conversation around 4pm when they passed in the parking lot. And she'd barely left the building when her cell had buzzed with a _**Fancy some company?**_

Of course she said yes.

Of course she'd take advantage of being in the same city. And now she wanted to corner him about his weird behaviour.

 _-CM-_

True to his word, Reid had taken the room next to her and threw her a supportive grin while the others weren't looking. All she had to do was give it ten minutes and Will could sneak in safely. While part of her felt like a teenager sneaking her boyfriend into her room right under her parents' nose, she just wanted to drop into bed and snuggle.

She wanted to apologise for the position she'd put him in today.

Tell him she'd tell her team as soon as this case was over.

Tell him how hard it had been to pretend she didn't care.

Tell him how much that meant.

And _then_ she'd ask him why he was being weird.

Before she knew it, there was a soft tap on her door. JJ moved quickly to open it and pull Will inside. Despite her resolve to tell her team she didn't want them finding out in the hallway of some hotel in the middle of the night.

As she closed the door, she took a moment to appreciate him as he stood in the middle of her room.

He looked as exhausted as she did. His hair was ruffled, shirt half pulled from his trousers, go bag lazily hung over his shoulder like he couldn't wait to drop it to the floor. That didn't stop him throwing her one of his trademark looks.

"I see the FBI travel budget hasn't been cut." The cocky half grin. The smouldering eyes. The look that made her insides tangle up in knots. _All_ Southern charm. Like she was the only girl he saw.

She was an idiot for trying to keep this under wraps.

Laughing, JJ made the first move, winding her arms around his neck and rolling her eyes as she stepped into his embrace. "What can I say, everywhere else was booked. Can't have the FBI's elite sleeping on the floor of the station."

"Oh, I think you underestimate our Southern hospitality. There isn't a man in that precinct whose momma wouldn't kill them if they let a pretty girl camp out on that floor."

Grinning, JJ leaned forward to whisper in his ear as his go bag hit the floor, "So you're saying I'd be having a sleepover with your Captain?"

"Like _hell_." Will's grip tightened on her hips, pulling her impossibly closer. She could feel everything, all of him, and suddenly she didn't feel so tired.

It hadn't even been 48 hours since he'd left, but that didn't mean she hadn't missed him.

She was getting used to this feeling now.

The butterflies waiting for him to arrive. Looking forward to going home at night when she knew he was there. The hollow feeling in her stomach when it was time for either one of them to leave.

She had it bad.

"And how do you suggest you sneak me into your bed if one of my team is sleeping on your sofa." She could just imagine it. Getting busted by Hotch at 6am as he leaves the bathroom at the same time as she exits the bedroom. It would be worse than getting caught by her dad.

"By being _incredibly_ inhospitable," Will gave her that look that made her feel like she was something he wanted to eat. "And only offering my spare room to the agent with the nice ass. Momma would be disgusted. But I'd live…" He moved backwards toward the bed, tugging her along with him, "Knowing I'd get to wake up next to you wearing nothing but my shirt…" His knees hit the edge of the bed and he sat back, pulling JJ with him, "and your hair trying to kill me."

She went easily, sliding onto his lap as she tried to minimise the space between them. Knees either side of his hips. Pressing up against his chest. Arms wound around his neck.

"If I was going to try to kill you, I'd be much more effective." She murmured as she leaned to press a kiss to his cheek.

Will flopped back on the bed, shifting them so they were resting on the pillows, JJ sprawled on top of him. The air in the room intensified as he rested his forehead against her shoulder. "It hasn't even been two days. Why do I miss you so much?"

He wasn't looking for an answer. It was a observation. Just like _how will I survive a woman like you going so far away?_

"I know."

She did know. She felt it every time one of them got on a plane. But she knew the only way out was for one of them to give up their lives and relocate. She knew she wouldn't do it. She was too selfish. And she wouldn't ask him.

She was too scared he'd say no.

"Never thought I'd fall for a girl who is so far away." Will tightened his grip on her, as if he was afraid she'd disappear. It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. It wasn't the first time he'd used that phrasing. If JJ was being honest, she normally ran away from this conversation.

It was too much. Too serious. _Too real._

But after her pep talk from Spence, maybe she deserved something real.

"When this case is over, I want to tell my team about us."

JJ tried not to read too much into the way he froze beneath her. She tried not to pray that she hadn't misread him. Will was the first guy she'd put herself out there for in a long time. With him, there were a lot of firsts.

"What brought on the change of heart?" Will's voice was even. Curious. She could detect the glimmer of hope in his tone that he was trying to tone down.

"I talked to Spence. He reminded me that it's okay to need someone." She reached up to cup her hand at the side of his neck. She smiled softly, "That it's okay to have someone to come home to."

JJ wasn't sure what happened, but one moment she was sprawled lazily across Will's chest, the next she found herself on her back as Will pressed her into the bed. She made a noise of contentment as his lips found hers, smiling into the kiss when he reached for the buttons on her shirt.

Sleep could wait.

 _-CM-_

"I have a confession to make."

JJ hummed in question, but didn't make a move from her spot. She was curled into Will's side as he lay on his back, the sheet draped around their waists. They'd been in this position for a while, on the edge of sleep, talking about everything and anything. This wasn't like the last time she was in the city for work. Tonight wasn't driven by insecurity and a need to claim what was theirs. Tonight was an unexpected bonus.

Will's tone was soft. A little guilty. But he didn't stop rubbing circles on her back, so she wasn't too worried. "I was avoiding talking to you about the media strategy all day."

JJ let out a soft chuckle. "I noticed. Want to share why?"

"As long as your gun is safely stored." Will chanced a glance down at her, and suddenly JJ realised this was more serious than she thought.

Frowning, she shifted to lie on her stomach, noticing the way Will followed her every movement. Maybe having this conversation in her underwear and his shirt wasn't a great idea. "Why do you care about where my gun is?"

"Because you're going to shoot Captain Shearer when you find out his idea of keeping a lid on the story is based on my ability to cheat on my girlfriend and get 'that blonde agent' into bed." Will ran a hand over his face as he groaned. There was no good time to discuss the directive he'd been given, but two am didn't feel like the right time either. "It was easier to stay away. Couldn't let him think I was doing as he said. I know it's a fruitless task. I sleep with you on a regular basis and I'm well aware that if you tell me run to a story, the story will run whether I want it or not."

JJ was silent, worrying Will. He chanced a glance down at her and was met by complete disbelief. He'd never seen JJ speechless. Not because of something like this anyway. "Babe, say something."

JJ was silent for a long moment before she ground out, "I'm going to do something much worse than shoot him."

"I was afraid of that." Will sighed, pushing himself up to lean back against the headboard. At least she wasn't threatening to leave. She wasn't running because someone had tried to use their relationship for leverage. It was only now that she wasn't going down that route that he realised how worried he'd been about that outcome. "Do I want to know?"

"Nope," JJ popped the 'p' as she rolled onto her side to grab her cell from where it as charging on the bedside table. She unlocked it with a few swipes before she started typing furiously. "I need you to be as clueless as possible so that this doesn't look staged."

Will shook his head as he reached out run a hand over her side. She might not be running, but he needed the reassurance of contact. He studied her for a moment, efficiently organising god knows what, and sincerely hoped he stayed off her shit list.

"Woman, you terrify me."


End file.
